Safety Standards Workgroup:Meeting One

Mona K. Gahunia, DODHMH Chief Medical Officer

July 9, 2014

Meeting Overview

• Introductions• Workgroup Goals and Objectives• Framing the Issue• Review of Safety Standards• Next Steps/Open Discussion

Workgroup Mission

• Study appropriate national safety standards for handling, preparing and administrating of chemotherapy, biologic therapy, supportive care medication, rheumatology therapy, or any other therapy in the treatment of cancer, a rheumatology condition, or a blood condition.

• Develop a consensus recommendation for the Secretary on appropriate safety standards.

Work PlanDate Activity

July 9, 2014• Frame the issue• Review safety standards

August 6, 2014

• Providers present on barriers to implementing standards

• Board of Pharmacy/Physicians present on what other states are doing

September 10, 2014 Present solutions to barriers

October 8, 2014Achieve consensus on infection control and potency/accurate dosing recommendations

October 22, 2014Achieve consensus on hazardous standard recommendation

November 15, 2014 Submit recommendations to Secretary Sharfstein

Framing the Issue• There has been a shift from inpatient to outpatient

oncology services over the past decade; as well as increasing number of outpatient rheumatology infusion centers.

• Safe drug, storage, prep and administration standards needed due to the:– Narrow therapeutic index of drugs; accurate dosing is

critical– Immunocompromised state of patients with higher risk

of infection; need for infection control standards- Hazardous nature of the drugs; need to address

occupational safety risks

Framing the Issue: Potency

• Antineoplastic agents and biologic agents used in rheumatologic disorders have a narrow therapeutic window.

• Accurate dosing is critical; standards needed from verifying prescribed dose to preparation and appropriate administration of drugs.

Framing the Issue: Infection Control

• Patients with cancer or rheumatologic disorders are often immunocompromised to start by the nature of their disease which can be further aggravated by the effects of the drugs; putting them at risk for developing serious infections that may lead to significant morbidity and even mortality.– Standards for infection control to prevent additional

risk to these patients with focus on sterility in drug prep and administration.

Framing the Issue: Hazardous Drugs

• According to the CDC, studies have associated workplace exposures to hazardous drugs with negative health effects such as:– Skin rashes,– Adverse reproductive outcomes (including infertility, spontaneous

abortions, and congenital malformations), and – Possibly leukemia and other cancers.

• Need to have occupational safety standards in place to protect staff and patients from unintentional exposures.

REVIEW OF SAFETY STANDARDS

• Developed, revised, and published standards for the safe use of chemotherapy in inpatient and outpatient settings.

• Scope of standards limited to accurate dosing/potency of drugs.

• Not designed to address hazardous nature of the drugs or infection control issues.

2013 ASCO/ONS Safety Standards

2013 ASCO/ONS Safety Standards

• Methodology– In 2008-2009, ASCO and ONS initiated a consensus-

based process to develop standards for safe administration of chemotherapy to adult patients in the outpatient setting.

– In January 2011, another workshop convened to review public feedback and it was determined that the same standards for chemotherapy administration safety should apply in all settings.

– A panel of experts was convened in December, 2011 to examine standards specific to oral chemotherapy.

2013 ASCO/ONS Safety Standards

• Thirty-six standards encompassing seven domains, which include the following:

CDC BICAPP• CDC’s Basic Infection Control And Prevention Plan

for Outpatient Oncology Settings• Developed for outpatient oncology facilities to

service as a model for a basic infection control and prevention plan.

• Not designed to address:-Infection prevention issues that are unique to blood and marrow transplant centers -Occupational health requirements-Appropriate preparation and handling (e.g., reconstituting, mixing, diluting, ---

compounding) of sterile medications, including antineoplastic agents-Clinical recommendations and guidance on appropriate antimicrobial prescribing practices

and the assessment of neutropenia risk in patients undergoing chemotherapy

CDC BICAPP• BICAPP elements include:

– Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions

– Education, Training, and Competency Evaluations

– Health Care Associated Infection Surveillance and Disease Reporting

– Central Venous Catheters

CDC BICAPP• All outpatient oncology (and rheumatology)

practices should have a infection control and prevention plan in place which includes all of these essential elements

• All outpatient oncology offices should have at least one staff person with responsibility over infection control policies and procedures; with some training in basic infection control

Handling Hazardous Drugs

• Multiple applicable guidelines; minimum requirements detailed in NIOSH Alert

• ASHP follows same basic tenets of NIOSH

• https://www.ons.org/products/safe-handling-hazardous-drugs-second-edition

• USP 797 and now 800 more detailed on technical engineering requirements (compounding)

NIOSH Alert

• General recommendations include:– Assess the hazards in the workplace.

– Handle drugs safely.

– Use and maintain equipment properly

NIOSH Alert• Detailed Recommendations

– Receiving and Storage – Drug Preparation and Administration– Ventilated Cabinets (including selection, air

flow and exhaust and maintenance)– Routine Cleaning, Decontaminating,

Housekeeping, and Waste Disposal– Spill Control– Medical Surveillance

USP 797

• Details the procedure and requirements for compounding sterile preparations and sets standards applicable to all settings in which sterile preparations are compounded

• Not specific to hazardous drugs

USP 800• Newly proposed chapter to guide handling of

hazardous drugs in all healthcare settings

• Details the procedure and requirements for receipt, storage, mixing, preparing, compounding, dispensing, and administration of hazardous drugs

• A few key differences with 797 which they state will be reconciled (re: engineering controls)

USP 800• Engineering controls• Competent personnel• Robust work practices• Availability of appropriate PPE• Policies for use of PPE and employee compliance• Medical Surveillance• Policies for HD waste segregation and disposal

USP 800

• General Chapter <800> is posted online at https://www.usp.org/usp-nf/notices/compounding-notice Submit comments with corresponding line numbers

• Email comments to CompoundingSL@usp.org

• Comments due July 31st, 2014

Concluding Remarks

• MOSH has been working with ONS on hazardous drug regulations

• CDC/NIOSH representatives may be able to join a meeting to answer questions/clarify standards

Next steps• Open discussion with initial thoughts and

perspectives• Before next meeting, please review these

standards (ASCO-ONS, CDC, NIOSH)• Next meeting:

– Providers present on barriers to implementing standards

– Board of Pharmacy/ASHP/Physicians present on what other states are doing